Thermal-Hydro-Mechanical Modeling of Frost Action in Frost-Susceptible Soils

Abstract

Frost heave and thaw settlement are commonly seen frost actions in both seasonal freezing and permafrost regions. The soils that are vulnerable to frost heave (frost susceptible soils)may experience large displacements upon freezing and thawing, and have dramatically different properties depending on its thermal state. An increase in soil strength along with frost heave occurs as the soil freezes while - during the melting process - settlement and thaw weakening are expected. Both frost heave and thaw settlement may cause significant damage to infrastructure. Thermal-hydro-mechanical (THM) modeling has been used in solving problems with temperature changes in soils as well as mass movement (porous flow). In this paper, a THM framework is introduced, including an elastic-plastic constitutive relationship for freezing and thawing soils. The model was implemented into the finite element system ABAQUS and used to simulate the frost heave and thaw settlement behind a retaining wall. The results are encouraging, and they indicate a very realistic response of the model to changing thermal boundary conditions.